Ground Tent/Awning Options

[Curtis2010]

I am about to start an Overland build of my 89 Jeep XJ. I think a ground tent and an awning(s) will best suit our intended use...which is trips up to about a week long.

Ive looked at both just larger stand alone ground tents and those which attach to the vehicle's rear cargo area.

Looking for input on the above. Both in general and specific to the XJ.

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[pl626]

What size, I.e., how many people? I love my Oztent RV4. Oz makes all different sizes of tents & awnings. http://www.oztent.us/tents
There's a thread on RTT vs. ground tent you may want to check.

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[Stone74]

I've got a 92 XJ I'm building up. I've got a Kodiak tent as my main. I'm getting a rooftop tent for the trailer I'm getting for longer trips. I've also got a single person tent that's light and quick to setup for an overnight stop.

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[RootedWanderers]

I have an Oztent RV-3. It's me and my Doberman, but It does have room to put 2 cots if needed.

 

[MagnoliaOverland]

Old picture but I'm running a FoxWing Awning and plan to use a Foxwing Tagalong Tent. It's a ground tent very similar to the RV-3 pictured above but instead of the awning you see above it zips into the foxwing awning.

It should be mentioned that while the Foxwing Tagalong Tent is 1/2 the price of the RV-3 on Amazon it looks to be about 1/2 the size although I'm not positive. The main driver for me going with this setup over a RTT tent is I have two kids and I'm afraid the RTT will just take up too much valuable storage space on the roof.

 

[Curtis2010]

What size, I.e., how many people? I love my Oztent RV4. Oz makes all different sizes of tents & awnings. http://www.oztent.us/tents
There's a thread on RTT vs. ground tent you may want to check.

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Just 2 of us normally. Maybe me solo on some trips. But since Overlanding is sort of "ultra heavy weight" camping vs the "ultra light" camping Im accustomed to from backpacking, I thought a splurge with some space would be nice.

We use Hennesy Hammocks for backpacking/camping/kayaking. Will likely start out with that and a couple of tarps...then maybe add a bigger ground tent.

Wow, OZ is pretty proud of their tents.

 

[Curtis2010]

What size, I.e., how many people? I love my Oztent RV4. Oz makes all different sizes of tents & awnings. http://www.oztent.us/tents
There's a thread on RTT vs. ground tent you may want to check.

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Have read the RTT vs Ground Tent thread. I think a ground tent will work better for us. Also, with something like an OZ tent you could drive off and leave camp set up.

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[pl626]

... with something like an OZ tent you could drive off and leave camp set up. ..

Zactly...great for base camp. I don't have any of the additional panels, but you can easily add more sheltered space, though not cheaply. Searching forums for lightly used Oz gear may be a less expensive way to buy, but may take more time.



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[Curtis2010]

Yes, I think something like the Oz tent is a good fit for our use. We are in Central America so, aside from Mountain Lions, there are no large dangerous mammals (well, maybe a Tapir, but they are only aggressive when directly threatened). And, Mountain Lion attack is highly uklikely. Many locals here think we are crazy for camping in the mountains, but when pressed they can't site a single Mountain Lion attack on adult humans.

 

[AbraxasDusk]

I have the arb 2500 and enclosed awning room. I absolutely love this setup as its quick and easy to set up and its a huge tent. Fits a queen size air matress with room to move around still.

 

[Curtis2010]

I have the arb 2500 and enclosed awning room. I absolutely love this setup as its quick and easy to set up and its a huge tent. Fits a queen size air matress with room to move around still.

Looks really roomy.

We get biblical rain here in the Tropics...hows that flat roof shed rain?


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[AbraxasDusk]

Looks really roomy.

We get biblical rain here in the Tropics...hows that flat roof shed rain?


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Havent had a chance to try it out in the rain yet, but I imagine you could angle the awning before setting up the tent so rain rolls off it.

 

[Hiluxoverland]

If you go solo on some trips I would sleep in the back of the XJ. No tent required. More than just your self is another story. I'm 6' tall and my XJ is perfect.

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[Curtis2010]

If you go solo on some trips I would sleep in the back of the XJ. No tent required. More than just your self is another story. I'm 6' tall and my XJ is perfect.

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Yeah, back when I did a lot of backpacking, and often got to trail heads late on a Friday night, I would just crash in the front seat till dawn. Mine is pretty comfy when tilted back. But, for Overlanding thinking of a bit more comfort.

And, the back tends to get filled with gear.

Im thinking of doing some more built in storage in the rear then have an awning extending over rear hatch to tent, maybe drop down sides from the awning. Like an OZ Tent set up but rigged off rear of vehicle.


Good looking rig.

 

[Hiluxoverland]

Yeah, back when I did a lot of backpacking, and often got to trail heads late on a Friday night, I would just crash in the front seat till dawn. Mine is pretty comfy when tilted back. But, for Overlanding thinking of a bit more comfort.

And, the back tends to get filled with gear.

Im thinking of doing some more built in storage in the rear then have an awning extending over rear hatch to tent, maybe drop down sides from the awning. Like an OZ Tent set up but rigged off rear of vehicle.


Good looking rig.

Thanks a lot, cargo and sleeping space are the universal overland struggles. I suppose a sleeping platform and storage in the back under your sleeping platform or in a basket on top would be the most secure situation for your self but again prolly not very comfortable for 2. In a perfect world, if your comfortable with the tent set up then you'll have a lot more cargo room. Building your rig is half the fun, and letting it grow and evolve to meet your needs as your plans vary and change. Whatever way you go take your time in thinking about it. I find personally the longer I wait and the more I think the more practical I get.


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[000]

I was going to suggest the arb awning with the room accessory too, but if you are going to be dealing with biblical tropic rain maybe something like cabelas guide geodesic tents would be more appropriate? They're supposed to handle severe weather and be very durable. I do like my arb awning for the price, but lust after the foxwing and batwing awnings.


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[Curtis2010]

I was going to suggest the arb awning with the room accessory too, but if you are going to be dealing with biblical tropic rain maybe something like cabelas guide geodesic tents would be more appropriate? They're supposed to handle severe weather and be very durable. I do like my arb awning for the price, but lust after the foxwing and batwing awnings.


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The OzTent with a sloped roof looks like it would handle rain well. Its a bit spendy, esp by the time I import it, but looks like a good option.

Till then it will likely be my good old Henesy Expedition hammock. I have the hex fly for it, which is an oversized rain fly. We currently use these for backpacking and kayaking. Ive field tested it many times...bone dry in thundering tropical rain, and the hex fly gives you a bit of covered space too. No seeum netting in the hammock keeps the tropical bugs at bay too. Another upside is reusing gear I already have.

https://hennessyhammock.com/products/expedition-asym-zip#

Hammocks are not so great for cool-cold weather camping as they get a bit fidly to set up as a warm shelter. We do get cold temps at altitude here and there are a lot of farm/logging roads in the mountains to explore.

I think I will start off with the hammocks and some additional tarps to create a prototype...some field testing of that will give me some ideas for final configuration.

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